Med advice for free-roam buns?

[LittleLionMan]

Hi all,

back at it with another question for those with free roam buns. The bunnies had a vet visit yesterday where they got blood and the first RHD vaccine…so it was a rough day for all parties. My girl, Pixie, has a wound on her neck (unknown cause but they’re testing her for bunny syphilis as a Hail Mary) but I have to give her antibiotics and pain meds 2x per day. This is my first time ever having to give her meds and I was able to give them last night though she’s quite a med fighter. She’s now really suspicious and doesn’t want to come out from under my bed too much, especially if she sees me get up. I’m not sure how much this is due to the vet or if it will decrease, but I haven’t been able to get her morning meds in yet. My issue is that I don’t want her to come out for treats and then have her associate that positive thing with the negative of getting force fed meds. I also don’t want her to become afraid of me, but I haven’t quite mastered how to approach meds with free roam buns and I kind of need to jump on any opportunity that brings her out. Does anyone have any advice on how I can get her meds in? Especially how to get meds in when buns are free roam without any sort of cage/enclosure?
I should also say that she spent 3 months in the vet before I got her, so I imagine she has some residual trauma from that. Anyway, thanks for reading this novel! Any advice is much appreciated!

[DanaNM]

She could have been a bit stressed from the day overall, so it may get easier… but she also might get more feisty! Can you mix the meds with something yummy so she will take them voluntarily?

My go-to is a small amount of banana or baby food. 🙂

One way to give them without picking her up would be to sort of corner her in an x-pen and make it small. Sit on the floor in the pen with her and use the “c-grip” to hold her head. I know forum moderator Wick&Fable has a great video of this, I’ve alerted the mods so they can share it.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LittleLionMan]

Great, thank you! She actually ate the antibiotic last night willingly (strong banana smell) but the pain meds were a hard no. She’s usually obsessed with eating so mixing it with baby food may work well!

I’m really hoping it will get easier, I just feel so bad when they get scared. I wish they understood we were trying to help!

[Wick & Fable]

C-Grip: https://youtube.com/shorts/N12eJ5vdo4w?feature=share

… I hope this helps! Also, it can be helpful to get an association with meds other than you. For my Wick, I have med/groom mat that acts as the signal, so he runs away when he sees it rather than me (read my comment in the post!) https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/comments/sh3pfi/care_medical_medicatinggrooming_mat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[LittleLionMan]

Thank you! I love the mat idea. The last thing I want is for them to view me negatively, so thank you for the great advice!

[LittleLionMan]

Just in case anyone wants a follow up.

1) I met her where she was at for her morning meds yesterday and stuck my arm under the bed. Antibiotics were no problem at all, but I ended up mixing the metcam with baby food — they didn’t have only banana (only banana with yogurt, granola or some other thing) so we tried organic, no sugar added apple&broccoli and just mangoes. She wouldn’t eat it off a flat surface so I watered it down a bit and syringe fed it to her. It was less stress for her which was good, but she definitely took her sweet time and she refused to finish the last little bit.  One of the buns had a bit of excess cecals, so I’m not sure if the sugar content plus antibiotics was too much for her.

2) The c-grip is a game changer! She wasn’t willingly taking her meds last night (I imagine she won’t this morning either) but this trick worked great! It gives you so much control while reducing the need to restrain them or burrito them. they get to keep their feet on the ground and your knees prevent them from backing up to escape. Embarrassed to say I’ve had a bunny for 6years and never knew about it!  This is definitely faster for both of us, though she does seem to hold some resentment towards me.

thanks again for your help!

[Author]

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